Google Sets eye on WhatsApp, $1 billion might be the price

Social media cross-platform messaging app WhatsApp may soon be acquired by Google. As per the reports Google and WhatsApp have been in talks for 4-5 weeks and a person with knowledge of this discussion said that WhatsApp has been able to push the acquisition price to nearly $1 billion by ‘playing hardball’.

Google is rumoured to be working on a mobile messaging app Babel which unifies various communication services under one umbrella. WhatsApp being the most popular mobile instant messengers with rivals like Viber, Kik, WeChat, Nimbuzz etc. If this acquisition is successful, WhatsApp will join the ranks of Google’s high-profile buyouts like YouTube and Android.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging applications available on various mobile platforms including Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone, it allows users to instant-message with each other, send images, audio, and video messages. The app essentially allows for cross-platform texting without having to pay for SMS.

Last year there were reports that Facebook may acquire WhatsApp, Facebook made an offer for WhatsApp, which was denied later.